Despite the obvious limitations of quality, information displayed at museums can be detailed and if visitors wish to read thoroughly they can learn considerable amounts on a given topic providing intellectual stimulation making museums a form of education centre. Dianne Lees, the director-general of the Imperial War Museum says that the purpose of the museum is to “ensure that future generations understand the causes, and most importantly the consequences of war”. Information contained in museums on the whole is straightforwardly presented and usually excludes historiography and references, thereby, making it easily accessible to the public (Corsane ed. 2005). Other means of accessing information is through guided tours, where a person knowledgeable in the museum’s exhibits takes a group around the museum and audio guides where visitors wear headsets or carry telephone-like devices with pre-recorded information on. Schools, colleges and universities frequently visit museums and are encouraged to read the material presented there, proving that there is educational value to these establishments. In some more major museums such as the Victoria and Albert museum (often known as V&A), which has strong links to the universities in London, there are classrooms and lecture theatres in the museum which host lectures. To the public who have an amateur interest in history and archaeology, museums serve as an important outlet for that interest and hobby. Henry Cole, the V&A’s first director, declared that “museums should be a schoolroom for all” (V&A website, A Brief History of the Museum).
Rather a fortunate by-product of some museums’ existence than a specific purpose, the grandeur and aesthetics of some museums such as the V&A Museum with its immense, lavishly decorated rooms can be quite overwhelming and may inspire people to be more interested in the contents of the museum and history in general (Sacks 1993, 78-80).
An important function of many museums is to house and catalogue primary documents, photos, etc. that are important for academic research. Often, such documents are of age and fragile and are preserved in a specialist way. The Imperial War museum in London is a prime example of this as it protects about 11,500 documents such as original photographs, soldiers’ letters, administrative items like records of the Nuremberg trails and manuscripts of notable war poets Isaac Rosenberg and Siegfried Sassoon. (IWM website, History of IWM London) Of these 11,500 items, the museum displays a large number.
The greater understanding of our heritage that comes from museums can instil pride and identity. We obtain much of our identity from communities we are born into or we chose to belong to (Macmillan 2009, 53). On a worldwide scale; the V&A contains an immense collection of artefacts from across the globe, of all human cultural and artistic accomplishment. On a national scale; the museum ship HMS Victory in Hampshire, surely imposes an ideal of ‘British militaristic greatness’ to its visitors. Similarly, on a local scale museums can enable people to feel proud and have a sense of belonging to a local area. The museum contained within Colchester Castle in Essex is dedicated to the history of Colchester and the surrounding area from prehistory up to the 1980s. Colchester has a rich history, once being a major city in Roman Britain and was host to Boadicea’s famous uprising against them. That alone may make the public feel a proud of their local area and to people from beyond Colchester, because it possesses a rich history, may well aid its image and prestige (Sorensen and Carman 2006). Perhaps this can be partially attributed to the perception of Harlow, a town created in the 1960’s, being considered an undesirable location in Essex whilst ancient Colchester, is considered a rather upmarket one.
People in general want to make sense of ours lives and our place in society and how we got here (Macmillan 2009, 4). There exists a philosophical aspect of heritage and an interesting question as to why humans find our past so important. The whole practise of preserving the past is somewhat enigmatic. Many things which are preserved have an obvious intrinsic value like the crown jewels, but what of the twelve by eight foot log cabin in which Abraham Lincoln was born? Perhaps a further purpose of museums is for the inherent desire for society to understand where it came from by being able to relate to regular people from previous times. People attach great sentimental value to inanimate objects, such as a log cabin, turning them into priceless artefacts that absolutely have to be preserved. To the people in question, these items were of little value or even rubbish yet today, they are priceless. A further purpose of museums is to enable people have a visual representation of history, museums act as a channel in which the public can understand where they came from or an understanding and appreciation of a specific event such as what a visit to the preserved concentration camp Auschwitz and holocaust museum in Poland surely offers.
Overall, there clearly are numerous, important purposes of a museum and the work they do. It is vital to preserve the past because it gives us better understanding of our current. As historical items, buildings and sites will only decline in number, items that have survived thus far should be preserved for future generations’ benefit. Museums achieve this goal effectively in addition to giving a great number of other positive contributions to society such as education, inspiration, entertainment and instilling identity.
A Brief History of the Museum. (n.d.). Retrieved April 23, 2010, from Victoria and Albert Museum: www.vam.ac.uk/collections/periods_styles/features/history/brief_history
Corsane, G. (ed.) 2005. Heritage, Museums and Galleries - An Introductory Reader. London: Routledge.
History of IWM London. (n.d.). Retrieved April 29, 2010, from Imperial War Museum: www.iwm.org.uk/server/show/nav.1220
Macmillan, M. 2009. The Uses and Abuses of History. Suffolk: Profile Books Ltd.
Sacks, O. 1993. ‘Remembering South Kensington’ in Discover 14.
Smith, L. 2006. The Uses of Heritage. London: Routledge.
Sorensen, M. and Carman, J. (eds.) 2006. Heritage Studies: Methods and Approaches. London: Routledge.
What's on around the country . (n.d.). Retrieved April 2010, 30, from The National Trust Website: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-events.htm